Demob Happy at Chameleon Cafe, Nottingham

Way back in February we checked out the new single from Brighton quartet Demob Happy, which you can stream below, released ahead of their tour across the UK and Europe. The massive string of dates saw them across the mainland last month, and continues tomorrow in York – full remaining dates are below. Young & Numb sticks in the mind for it’s deeper-than-surface level meaning and its nods towards the likes of QOTSA and the beginnings of Kings Of Leon.

Last night saw the band take to the stage at Nottingham’s Chameleon Cafe, with an opening wall of force that set them in solid stead. One of the city’s renowned independent venues, Chameleon suited the band’s determination and gusto perfectly, showing exactly why they’re making waves in the underground music scene. Making the most of the stage’s excellent sound, the layered vocals piled up with impressive weight, and the band were sure to bring their live show very close to studio quality.

The second song of the show allowed the focus to shift between the massively built up riffs and Matt Marcantonio’s straight up vocals. The Nirvana comparisons Demob Happy are often commended with are just as prevalent in their live show as their recorded worked, a thick and dirty grungy sound exuding from every riff. Accompanied with the “we don’t give a fuck” attitude you see Marmozets praised for, they drum up a vicious energy that ripples off every bassy twang and snare drum punch.

A fuzzy edge to the music added to the old school grunge feel of the set, with guitar solos to wind in intricate moments to what became a solid mass of grunged up energy. When the hazy and thick vocals weren’t painting themselves across the music, the instrumentals take place with a wedge of confidence and the power of a snow plough.

With an almost formidable determination the band continued to please the crowd, and even in the simpler moments of the set the bass remained as driving and strong as ever. In reciprocation, the audience praised the band with cheers and whoops, even a few mad moshers getting into the mood of the night. It’s ridiculously apparent that Demob Happy are making themselves into an unstoppable force fuelled by riffs and a real DIY notion, sure to make a spectacle and a name for themselves.